Current safety situation at level crossings in Croatia and the future research

Abstract

Level crossings (LCs ) represent a direct conflict between rail and road traffic. From the aspect of safety, LCs are traffic points of high risk. This is confirmed by the fact that they are often places where traffic incidents and accidents frequently occur, with consequences in human victims and great material damage. Those represent an actual problem of traffic safety which is characteristic of the traffic system of every country and in the Republic of Croatia as well. In Croatia every level crossing is protected in accordance with the stipulated legal regulations, and the protection level primarily depends on the category of the railway line (main, regional, and local) and the road (state, county, local, uncategorized), allowed speed on the line, terrain conditions, and local circumstances at the crossing location. On the Croatian Railways network in the total length of 2756 km, there are a total of 1542 LCs. Out of the total number of LCs 68.4% are protected only by road traffic signs and visibility triangle (signs informing about the approach to the crossing, STOP sign and Andrew's cross), and 31.6% of LCs are protected by devices (light-audio signals, half-barriers, barriers). The safety condition at level crossings in the Republic of Croatia is best reflected in the data on the number of traffic incidents and accidents (fatalities and material damage), as well as on the number of victims (killed or injured). This paper will introduce the current status of level crossings in Croatia, included types of LCs, statistical data of accidents, comparison with other countries, national safety programme for the protection of LCs, and research perspectives with aim of defining priority measures of improving safety at level crossings. © 2009 WIT Press.